Kitchen Vixen

I overheard a student in the Baking and Pastry program at the school today talking about making Jameson Whiskey Caramels as a St. Patrick’s Day treat.  I drooled.

I composed myself and walked back to my desk with dangerous ideas bubbling in my mind about all sorts of decadent things I could do with caramel, whiskey and sugar. I imagined a heavenly dessert/breakfast that would make my subtly amazing husband turn to putty and fall madly in love with me all over again.

My fantasy looked something like this:

He wakes up in the morning to the warm sweet smell of soft bread baked with custard and cream. With one bite, rich white chocolate coats his hungry lips like vanilla tinged liquid silk and the nuance of smoky caramel whisky flavor perfectly mingles with the first sip of fresh roasted hot coffee…

This Sunday morning, before jumping on a plane to Vegas with my friend, I planned spoil Kevin with a breakfast-y baked good so delicious it would make his teeth curl. My cooking will surely intoxicate him, endearing him to me forever and make him wait breathlessly for my return from Sin City.



I fantasized myself a baking Kitchen Vixen and the recipe for a killer Bread Pudding would be my superpower.


I penciled out the formula:


First, recreate the kick-ass world shattering bread pudding recipe I found on Epicurious last year. (But I’d add the secret man-seducing ingredient of melted white chocolate)


Then, make decadent mesmerizing lure-you-into-a-food-coma-oblivion Whisky Caramel Sauce to drizzle over the top.


The following recipe will tempt husbands, not to mention the rest of us, to madness. Don’t resist. Make it. Feed it to your loved one. Eat it. You’ll curse me yes, but you will love me too, just like my subtly amazing husband will.


Fair warning though: you may have to buy a super sized pack of ass covering granny panties at Costco since every bite of this concoction is sure to go straight to your behind, just like it will mine.


Come to think of it, maybe super amazing bread pudding won’t make my husband fall in love with me all over again.

Unless I can convince him that granny panties are sexy.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding Recipe


• 3 1/2 cups whipping cream


• 1 cup milk (do not use low-fat or nonfat)


• 1/2 cup sugar


• 18 ounces good-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt),coarsely chopped


• 7 large egg yolks


• 2 large eggs


Preparation:


Preheat oven to 275°F. Arrange bread cubes on baking sheet. Bake until light golden and dry, about 10 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to rack; cool completely. Increase oven temperature to 350°F.


Combine 3 cups whipping cream, 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup sugar in heavy large saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Add 10 ounces white chocolate (about 1 3/4 cups) and stir until melted and smooth. Whisk yolks and eggs in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in warm chocolate mixture.


Place bread cubes in 2-quart glass baking dish. Add half of chocolate mixture. Press bread cubes into chocolate mixture. Let stand 15 minutes. Gently mix in remaining chocolate mixture. Cover dish with foil.


Bake pudding 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer pudding to rack and cool slightly. (can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover with foil and refrigerate. Re-warm covered pudding in 350°F oven for 30 minutes before serving.)

Whiskey Sauce:


• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream


• 2 teaspoons cornstarch


• 2 tablespoons cold water


• 1/3 cup sugar


• 1/3 cup bourbon


To make the sauce, bring the cream to a boil, combine the cornstarch and water, and add the mixture to the boiling cream, stirring constantly. Return to a boil, and then reduce the heat and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds, being careful not to burn the mixture. Add the sugar and bourbon, and stir. Pour over the top.



Remember fellow Kitchen Vixen’s:

No regrets.

{photo of Bread Pudding from Epicurious via Uncle Beefy}